The present invention relates generally to the field of side view mirrors for motor vehicles, and more particularly, is directed to an improved side view mirror that is especially designed to facilitate rapid determination of a safe passing distance in front of an overtaking vehicle.
When driving upon the highways, it is frequently necessary to overtake and pass a slower moving vehicle which is traveling in the same direction. In order to make sure that the slower vehicle can be passed in safety, the driver must quickly and accurately determine whether the distance between the slower vehicle and oncoming traffic is sufficient to safely permit the passing maneuver and at substantially the same time, the driver must also make a determination whether or not there is also sufficient rearward clearance from overtaking vehicles traveling in the same direction to permit safe passing.
With the development of high-speed vehicular traffic and crowded highways, it is of great importance that the driver be able to quickly determine whether the road conditions, both forwardly and rearwardly, are safe for passing purposes. While oncoming traffic is usually readily visible through the windshield of the automobile by means of a simple forward observation, such easy visual surveillance is not possible with regard to rearwardly positioned traffic unless the driver were to turn his head completely about approximately one hundred and eighty degrees to directly view to the rear. Of course, such turning of the head is extremely dangerous and is frowned upon by all recognized highway safety personnel.
In order to quickly and comprehensively observe rearwardly positioned traffic without creating an undue hazard caused by the driver turning his head, most vehicles are equipped with both a rear view mirror and side view mirror, which mirrors are so installed and positioned in and about the vehicle as to permit the driver to observe rearward traffic conditions by merely shifting his eyes to view the mirrors without completely turning his head. The side view mirror is most advantageous to determine whether the passing lane is sufficiently clear from the rear to allow the motorist to pull into the passing lane for passing a slower moving vehicle in front.
In view of the relatively high speed of travel which is usual on most highways, there is only a very limited period within which the driver has time to observe and to determine whether or not the passing lane is clear enough so that he can safely pass a forwardly positioned, slower moving vehicle. The inability of drivers to quickly and correctly observe the road conditions and to respond accordingly to execute the passing maneuver has developed into a major cause of many highway accidents.
It is of utmost importance that the driver maintain visual observation of the vehicle to be overtaken during the execution of the passing procedures, and to also observe the rearward clearance available in the left or passing lane before entering that passing lane for forwardly positioned vehicle passing purposes. Thus, at the very moment of passing when the passing driver's attention should be almost totally concentrated on the leading vehicle, his attention must somehow simultaneously be diverted to determine the road conditions rearwardly in the passing lane, thereby creating a safety hazard at the very moment of greatest exposure.
In the presently available side view mirrors, there is no easy manner in which to gauge distances to the rear, especially when time for only a fleeting glimpse is usually available because of the highway safety considerations. In view of the lack of an easy method of gauging rearward distances, it sometimes requires excessive motorist concentration in the side view mirror and in the rear view mirror to determine exactly the position of an overtaking vehicle prior to execution of the forward passing procedure. This protracted time further increases the danger to all vehicles and motorists in and about the location of the passing procedure. Additionally, there is a considerable glare during nighttime driving from automobile headlamps of trailing vehicles, and this glare is frequently reflected directly into the eyes of the driver because of the angular orientation of the present side view and rear view mirrors which must be positioned to enable a driver to quickly and conveniently sight rearwardly.
In the said co-pending application Ser. No. 429,244, the applicant has disclosed a vehicle safety mirror having a line of demarcation between "safe" and "unsafe" passing zones to enable a driver to quickly and easily determine whether or not there is sufficient clearance between his vehicle and an overtaking vehicle to allow safe movement of his vehicle into the passing lane for passing a forwardly located vehicle.